


A Dreadful Development

by Niglia



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: 100 words chapters, Allies To Lovers, Body Swap, Canon Divergence, Comedy, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Drabble, F/M, Friendship, Humour, Post-Canon, Romance, Slow Burn, body switch, kinda beauty and the beast vibes, updates slowly, what if
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:34:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 99
Words: 10,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23947765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niglia/pseuds/Niglia
Summary: [Kagome/Sesshoumaru]Sesshoumaru needs to learn the virtue of humility – and who is more humble than Jaken? His predicament only gets more complicated when he seeks a miko help. A story told in 100 words snippets.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/Sesshoumaru
Comments: 31
Kudos: 125





	1. One.

_____________________________

{ **Disclaimers**. _I do not own Inuyasha nor its characters – Rumiko Takahashi is the rightful owner_.}

_____________________________

**One.**

Laying peacefully on a flowery field, Kagome was enjoying the sun’s warmth without a thought in the world. Cicadas lowly chirped, birds sang, and she sighed pleasingly.

The morning was free from obligations. Inuyasha and Miroku had left at the first light of dawn to go to a three days away village, Sango was occupied with her children and Kaede-sama had let her take the morrow to spend as she saw fit – which, for Kagome, translated in relax.

They were the early days of summer, and there was nothing that could ruin her peace –

“Miko.”

– at least so she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been posting this story on Dokuga and ff.net, but since quarantine is boring and my inspiration to write new stuff comes and goes (it mostly goes - _away_ ), I've decided to also post it here. So, welcome to the new readers and welcome back to the old ones! Hopefully I can update more often but who knows. For now, let's enjoy the chapters already written - I won't be able to upload all of them in one go, so be patient and thank you for being here!  
> Love you, hope you're all safe and healthy. ♥


	2. Two.

**Two.**

She easily recognized that demanding cadence – but frowned at hearing the voice.

They simply did not match.

Rising on her elbows and looking around, Kagome tried to locate the youkai she was almost certain the voice was coming from, but she could only see trees and flowers gently swaying in the wind.

“Uhm.” Perhaps she was imagining things. If the demon she was expecting to see were actually _there_ , she would have sensed his aura… Or at least saw his shadow. Besides, what would have been the point in calling her and remain hidden?

She shrugged, returning to her rest.


	3. Three.

**Three.**

Then, she heard it again.

“Miko.” This time, it was more urgent – almost, dare she say? _Desperate._

Well, she certainly didn’t imagine that.

Scoffing and sitting up again, Kagome raised a hand to her forehead and squinted her eyes to look for something – _anything_ , that would warned her of the presence of the daiyoukai.

“Sesshoumaru-sama?” She asked, deciding to cut the pleasantries. “Is that you?”

Again, silence.

Kagome was starting to get annoyed, because, _really!_ , why on earth would the daiyoukai want to play hide and seek with her?

“If you have something to say, then just-”

A bush trembled.


	4. Four.

**Four.**

She fell silent immediately. Experience had taught her that Sesshoumaru did not deal well with rudeness, and she had no interest in challenging him.

Biting her lower lip, Kagome cursed herself for forgetting her bow and arrows back at the hut – the time of relative peace they were living in had softened her, making her easily distracted, and she had lost the habit to go around armed when she stayed within her village borders.

She hoped that the time to pay for her forgetfulness had not arrived yet.

Bracing herself, she rose, straightening the folds of her hakama, and waited.


	5. Five.

**Five.**

Surprisingly, from behind that bush it wasn’t Sesshoumaru that came out.

A little youkai, a very familiar imp with green skin and yellow eyes, frowning in a furious expression and not taller than her hip, stood uncharacteristically proud in the grass.

“Jaken-sama?” She demanded, puzzled.

He continued with his unnerving stare, and for the first time Kagome felt uncomfortable in his presence.

“Uhm… Is… is Sesshoumaru-sama with you? I swear I heard him calling me-”

“ _Miko_.”

It took her a bit to understand that it was precisely Jaken who had addressed her.

Then Kagome became aware of other interesting things.


	6. Six.

**Six.**

First, the voice that she had heard just a few moments before, and that she had instinctively connected to Sesshoumaru, was too high pitched and strained to belong to the majestic daiyoukai.

Then, his aura – she couldn’t for the life of her find it anywhere.

Of course, she knew that the demon loved to hide his power and to keep his youki tightly inside him to confuse and fool his opponents, but recently every time he approached their village, he had made a habit of letting them know of his presence by politely flaring a little bit of his youki.


	7. Seven.

**Seven.**

Lastly, she could have sworn that she had never seen Jaken act with such an almighty attitude.

She didn’t think that he had that in him, honestly.

The imp usually hid himself in Sesshoumaru’s shadow, kissing the soil where his master walked on, bowing repeatedly, groveling at his feet as if he was the reason the sun rose every morning, and serving in the meantime as a stress ball. He had no pride whatsoever.

Kagome could sincerely admit that she had felt a mix of pity and disgust for the little retainer, but after all, who was she to judge?


	8. Eight.

**Eight.**

Right now, however, the kappa that she had learnt to know looked more like his terrible lord than his old self did, and the miko couldn’t help but ask herself _how_ was that.

She refused to think that the ancient saying ‘ _Those who go with the lame learns to limp_ ’ could be applied to Jaken, simply because that demon was unable to evolve. And yet there he was, looking straight at her without wavering, with a rigid posture and the same detached air as the daiyoukai.

“Jaken-sama”, she began uncertain. “Are you well? You don’t quite look like… uhm… yourself.”


	9. Nine.

**Nine.**

Jaken ignored her, pretending to look placidly around.

“Where is the half-breed, miko?”

“He left this morning with Miroku.” She answered instinctively, before her mind registered the insult. “Hey! Don’t call him that, it’s rude.”

The imp raised an eyebrow in a very Sesshoumaru-like manner. “I will refer to my half-brother in any way I please.”

She stared at him wide-eyed. “Uhm, Jaken-sama, I don’t think your lord would appreciate your impersonation…”

“This one answers to no lord.” He noticed that she was about to retort something and quickly prevented her, patience growing thin. “Be reasonable, miko. _I_ am Sesshoumaru.”


	10. Ten.

**Ten.**

Since coming to the Feudal Era six years earlier, Kagome had seen her fair share of weird things.

She had seen and fought any kind of youkai, she had been hurt and she had almost been eaten, she had seen corpses being brought back to life, she had killed too. She had seen people transforming in dangerous beasts, she had seen dragons for God’s sake!

But nothing could have prepared her for _this_.

The great daiyoukai of the West, the one they had tremble before countless times–

_It was hilarious…_

– he was now apparently trapped in his retainer’s kappa body.


	11. Eleven.

**Eleven.**

Many _whys_ and _what the hells_ began to twirl furiously in her mind, deafening her.

Was he teasing her? Was Jaken-sama capable of jesting about such a matter, with no fear for future repercussions? Was he testing her?

Most likely, had he gone mad?

Or, in the remote event that he was telling the truth – what on Earth had happened to the daiyoukai to make him end up in this mess?

An irritated rumble vibrated in the clearing. “ _Miko_ , snap out of it.”

Her eyes darted on him, wide open, and something clicked in her brain–

That _truly_ was Sesshoumaru.


	12. Twelve.

**Twelve.**

Kagome struggled not to laugh.

But confronted with the fact that all of that ridiculous predicament was real, for the inuyoukai mannerism was not easy to mimic, she really couldn’t help it.

And when Jaken – _that is_ , Sesshoumaru-sama – narrowed his eyes and tried without much success to growl, she just laughed harder.

Kagome knew she was being exceedingly tactless, that she was probably courting her death, but what could she do?

She pressed her hands on her mouth to stifle her hysterical giggles, and closed her eyes to avoid the deadly stare of Jaken – oh, God have mercy, _of Sesshoumaru_.


	13. Thirteen.

**Thirteen.**

“I’m sorry!” She finally blurted out amid tears. “I’m so sorry, but you have to realize that this is all quite… uhm… preposterous”, she ended lamely, gesturing toward him.

“This Sesshoumaru is aware.” He furiously hissed, little claws flexing. “This one also thought that a priestess would have shown more empathy, without ridiculing me.”

Oh, his voice could have changed, but the steel vein in his threatening timbre was still there.

“Let’s step back for a moment.” Kagome proposed, wiping tears from her eyes. “Why don’t you start by telling me what has happened to turn you into your servant?”


	14. Fourteen.

**Fourteen.**

He paused, frowning. “I had a… _misunderstanding_ with a dark miko.”

Kagome took a deep breath, asking in vain the Kami to protect her from stupid dogs.

A misunderstanding – _ah_! She could have bet her right hand that that miko – no matter how dark she was – had only acted in self-defense or something like that, and she wouldn’t lose it.

“What kind of misunderstanding, Sesshoumaru-sama?” _Did you threaten to kill her or her family?_

The now little youkai glowered at her, irked by her patronizing tone. “This one does not have to explain himself, miko”, he snarled.

Kagome remained unimpressed.


	15. Fifteen.

**Fifteen.**

That answer practically proved that she was right.

“Whatever you say, Sesshoumaru-sama”, she hummed. “Anyway, I don’t see the problem. We found this miko, we beg her to forgive you, you recover your body… and we live happily ever after!”

“I am afraid we must find another solution, one that does not involve that miko.”

“…Dare I ask you why, Sesshoumaru-sama?”

He almost hesitated. “She is dead.”

Kagome prayed to have heard wrong.

“I beg your pardon?”

“She is no longer alive.”

“I know what _dead_ means! How?”

Sesshoumaru shrugged, slipping his hands into his sleeves. “It was an accident.”


	16. Sixteen.

**Sixteen.**

“ _An accident_? When I trip, is an accident! You can’t just accidentally kill someone!”

“Indeed, I most certainly did not. My retainer is at fault.”

“Are you telling me that Jaken-sama… the same one who is afraid of his own shadow… killed someone?”

“Hn. The circumstances perhaps are to blame. Since he is trapped in my body as I am in his, he is very well unable to control the magnitude of my youki. Therefore, when he found himself in my shape, he became upset… And right after the head of the sorceress was rolling on the ground, neatly severed.”


	17. Seventeen.

**Seventeen.**

Kagome gulped, feeling sick – she would have survived without the gory details.

“Don’t despair, Sesshoumaru-sama: every curse has its loophole. We only have to find yours.”

He bent his head in an affirmative fashion. “This one is glad you’ve accepted to help him, miko.”

 _Uhm_. Had she?

“Not to be impolite, Sesshoumaru-sama, but can I ask you why you sought for me? I mean, I’m honored, but we never had such intimacy.”

The once powerful daiyoukai let out what looked like a sigh.

“I should have imagined that that idiot of my half-brother had never explained to you pack dynamics.”


	18. Eighteen.

**Eighteen.**

Curiosity subdued her turmoil: for when a dog demon brings up his pack, the matter becomes inevitably serious.

Sitting in seiza on the ground, so as not to tower over him – she decided there and then that she would not tease him anymore on his current circumstances – Kagome motioned for him to explain.

“What pack dynamics have to do with anything?” She inquired gently, knowing the sensitivity of the issue.

Sesshoumaru stared at her attentively. “When a pack member finds himself in trouble, it is up to the rest of the pack to do what is best to help him.”


	19. Nineteen.

**Nineteen.**

Kagome nodded – so far, it was perfectly understandable: it was no different from any family dynamic.

Hesitantly and clearly displeased, Sesshoumaru continued. “However, when the Alpha of said pack is the one who needs support, things becomes more… intricate.”

She wasn’t sure she liked his suddenly grim tone.

“If the Alpha is unable to perform his duties, the first female intervenes to temporarily take his role. In my case, she would not only take care of the pack, but also of the throne of the Western Lands – and since I have not a mate, you are that female.”

Kagome blinked.


	20. Twenty.

**Twenty.**

“Wait a minute, Sesshoumaru-sama. How can I be? I was not even aware that I’m part of your pack, and second, your mother is alive and well! She should be the most important female in your social pyramid, not me!”

“My mother was the first female of my sire’s pack.” Sesshoumaru patiently began to explain. “She maintains her title only as long as this one remains without a mate. Apart from that, she has no power and no place in ruling my pack or my lands.”

 _And it would be utterly humiliating to ask for her help_ , he silently added.


	21. Twenty-One.

**Twenty-One.**

“This still doesn’t explain _why_ you think I belong to your pack.” Kagome insisted, fidgeting. She didn’t like being kept in the dark, especially when there was a chance for her to get into trouble because of things she did not know.

Sesshoumaru managed to raise elegantly an eyebrow even in Jaken’s less than graceful body.

“Are you not my half-brother’s intended, miko?” He asked, now sincerely curious. “I reckoned that you were to be his mate.”

“Inuyasha and I are not like that.” She answered curtly. “Now that this is settled, I suppose you won’t need my help anymore?”


	22. Twenty-Two.

**Twenty-Two.**

She sounded far too relieved for his taste, and Sesshoumaru merely scoffed.

“It does not matter, for the half-breed think of you at least as a pack member: therefore, we will start from that.”

Kagome groaned. “But I thought you said–”

“Since my half-brother belongs to my pack, even if he conveniently forgets that, by extension you do too.” The lord sharply interrupted. “Which makes you the only female in my pack, besides Rin. Therefore, as your Alpha I can and will ask for your help and support in these less than favorably circumstances. What is your answer, miko?”


	23. Twenty-Three.

**Twenty-Three.**

Kagome didn’t know what to say.

She wasn’t by nature one to refuse a request for help, and moreover it was Sesshoumaru who was asking it. Not only was he an ally, but through Inuyasha, she had even begun to regard him as an eldest brother – going so far as to call him _onii-sama_ when he was feeling particularly benevolent or forgiving.

However, she did not know what helping him would entail. She was a miko, she had duties at the village, and she couldn’t simply drop everything without explanation and be at his disposal!

She bit her lip, thinking.


	24. Twenty-Four.

**Twenty-Four.**

Sesshoumaru was growing impatient. The miko was insufferable!

Did she have any idea of how much pride had cost him to come to her, his brother’s wench, for help?

Did she think that it had been easy, realizing that he would need someone else’s aid to solve his dilemma?

He wished for his body back – more importantly, he wished for the comfort and the security that his true form was able to give him.

Right now, he felt useless like a newborn pup – without his youki, there was nothing much that he could do.

His fate resided in her hands.


	25. Twenty-Five.

**Twenty-Five.**

He did not even know why he had gone to her in the first place.

Perhaps she was the lesser of two evils. He could require her silence on the entire situation, for he desired that no one would ever know of his miserable state, and he could threaten her if she did otherwise.

 _Hn_. On second thought, it would not be honorable to intimidate a member of his own pack – but he could use her ignorance as advantage. It was not his fault that she was uneducated on youkai’s customs, after all.

“I do not have all day, miko.”


	26. Twenty-Six.

**Twenty-Six.**

Kagome released a sigh.

“I won’t turn my back on you, Sesshoumaru-sama.” She finally capitulated, her generosity winning all of her internal struggles. “Anyway, you will need to be more specific about my role in all of this. How long will it take? Shouldn’t we wait for Inuyasha to return, before doing anything? What exactly is it that you expect from me?”

Sesshoumaru blinked twice, his only way of showing his relief. “Your queries are more than rightful, miko, and I will answer them in due time.”

Then, an afterthought hit him. “The hanyou will not know any of this.”


	27. Twenty-Seven.

**Twenty-Seven.**

So, he didn’t want Inuyasha to know?

 _Not that I can blame him_ , Kagome honestly admitted. _Inuyasha can be a real pain in the ass when his brother is concerned._

However–

“I don’t like the mystery.” She clarified, brows knitted together. “If I have to help you, I would like to know what you will ask of me, and I would like to know it _now_.”

Sesshoumaru tilted his head toward the heavens, his way of rolling his eyes. “Miko, everything in due course. At the moment, this one is more concerned for the well-being of his body.”

Kagome straightened.


	28. Twenty-Eight.

**Twenty-Eight.**

“Why? What’s happened to it? And now that I think about it…” She looked around, embarrassed for her own absent-mindedness. “Where _is_ Jaken?”

“Still safe, I hope.” It was his short reply. “This Sesshoumaru considered it wiser not to bring the imp with him, since he is understandably unable to master this one’s body.”

A sudden imagine of a panicking Jaken trying unsuccessfully to make the daiyoukai’s graceful form walk and move crossed her mind, and Kagome bit violently her lips not to burst into another fit of giggles.

“Yes, I- I can figure.” She murmured, pointedly ignoring Sesshoumaru’s scowl.


	29. Twenty-Nine.

**Twenty-Nine.**

“I shall bring you to him as soon as we depart from the village”, Sesshoumaru resolutely declared.

The longer he stayed away from his true body, the more he became irritable: he was not sure he trusted his retainer with his power and form, since the imp had not seemed at ease with the predicament when he had left him alone – Ah-Uh loyally standing guard.

Furthermore, there was the problem with his _beast_ … But about that he would talk to the miko later, or _never_ if only he could be that lucky.

There were things he would rather not disclose.


	30. Thirty.

**Thirty.**

Kagome sighed, not believing that one hour ago she had thought that that would be a perfect day.

“I take it you want to leave as soon as possible?”

“ _Now_ , miko, if you do not mind.”

Well, actually _, she did_ , but by now she could not say it.

Biting on one finger, she began to list. “Uhm, I need to pack some things, belongings and supplies, and I must warn Kaede-sama and Sango-chan of my departure. It won’t take too long.”

“Hn. Then this Sesshoumaru will permit it.”

The miko rolled her eyes. “A simple _thank you_ would have sufficed.”


	31. Thirty-One.

**Thirty-One.**

Sesshoumaru decided not to accompany her inside the village, since he did not desire for Rin to see him and ask questions to which he did not know what to respond.

Kagome replied that he would have to get used soon to act like his retainer if he wanted to keep it a secret, but the daiyoukai had simply glared at her, effectively silencing her unwanted advices.

It was clear that he still hadn’t coped with the situation, so the miko wisely let him be.

She knew he would ask for her opinion eventually, and she would gladly give it.


	32. Thirty-Two.

**Thirty-Two.**

He told her he would wait for her near the Bone-Eater’s well, and they departed ways at the border of the forest.

Kagome kept going towards the huts, waving and smiling at the villagers who raised their heads to bow politely in her direction. She wondered, not for the first time, for how long the task that Sesshoumaru had required from her would take her away from her little world, and if she had been too reckless in accepting to help him.

But this what was done in a pack, right? And some part of her kind of liked that.


	33. Thirty-Three.

**Thirty-Three.**

A fragrant smell hit her nose as soon as she raised the mats of the older miko’s hut: Kaede-sama was crouching next to the fire, stirring some soup for dinner, and Kagome felt a small twinge of guilt.

“Ah, you’re back, Kagome-chan.” Her rusty voice said welcoming, her eye raising rapidly towards her. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

“I did, Kaede-sama.” She answered, stripping off her sandals and reaching her near the fire. “I’m afraid I won’t join you for dinner: something happened that demands my attention, and I must leave as soon as I’m ready.”

This captured the other’s attention.


	34. Thirty-Four.

**Thirty-Four.**

Kaede’s only eye watched her intently, almost as if it wished to read her very soul.

“Oh? Is it something you cannot share?”

Kagome exhaled, feeling sorry. “I was asked not to disclose details. However, I can say that it has been Sesshoumaru-sama who summoned me, and I couldn’t refuse.”

The older miko blinked. “Is it dangerous? Would not be wise to wait for Inuyasha?”

_Why did everyone believe that she could not lift a finger without him?_

“I don’t think so, Kaede-sama. It would be _wiser_ to answer to Sesshoumaru-sama call right away.”

The elderly hummed, pursuing her lips.


	35. Thirty-Five.

**Thirty-Five.**

“I think you already made your decision, child.” Kaede said gently. “Will you leave on your own?”

Kagome shook her head. “No, Jaken-sama has come to pick me up.” _It wasn’t exactly a lie_. “I will only take my bow and arrows, and my backpack. He’s waiting near the well, so I must hurry.”

“Of course.” With a slight wave of her hand, the older miko let Kagome proceed with her preparations.

“Do you know how long you will be away?” She inquired, watching as the girl went from one side to another of the little hut retrieving her things.


	36. Thirty-Six.

**Thirty-Six.**

“I don’t”, Kagome confessed. “But the sooner I go, the sooner I can come back. I’m sure Rin and Shippo will keep you company, Kaede-sama.”

The other snorted, amused. “They will give me a hard time.”

Kagome giggled, slipping the quiver on her back. “Just send a word and I’ll return as faster as possible.”

Kaede nodded, then she put a hand on the floor and slowly stood up. “Is there something you wish for me to tell Inuyasha?” She offered.

“Uhm. ‘Don’t be mad, I know what I’m doing, don’t you dare follow me’,” she listed on her fingers.


	37. Thirty-Seven.

**Thirty-Seven.**

The elderly observed her fondly, a tiny smile on her lips.

“There’s no doubt that you know what you’re doing, child. You’ve grown quite a lot in these years.”

The delicate praise made her blush. “I wish someone else had noticed”, she shrugged.

Kaede slipped a hand under her arm, squeezing gently. “Some things simply don’t happen the way we want them to.”

The girl smiled quietly resigned. “I learned that lesson, too.”

Kaede nodded – there was nothing more to say. “Go now. I will pray for an easy journey and a safe return.”

With a well-mannered bow, Kagome left.


	38. Thirty-Eight.

**Thirty-Eight.**

Keeping the truth from Sango was harder, but Kagome had managed.

“Jaken-sama couldn’t be more specific”, she told her friend, one of the twins sitting comfortably on her lap. “He said he is merely obeying orders, and that it wasn’t his place to question his lord.”

The miko wondered when exactly had she become so good in lying.

“I’m not quite at ease with the thought of you crossing the lands with only Jaken as your comrade”, the taijiya pensively countered. “Why didn’t Sesshoumaru come himself?”

Kagome shrugged because, honestly, what could she say?

“Perhaps he was busy”, she suggested.


	39. Thirty-Nine.

**Thirty-Nine.**

“So is auntie leaving?” One of the twins asked, poking her mother’s arm. “Without uncle Yasha?”

 _Quoque tu_? Kagome sighed, running a hand over her forehead.

“Uncle Yasha is already occupied with your daddy, honey”, she explained under Sango’s thoughtful gaze. “Besides, Sesshoumaru-sama apparently requires my presence at his fortress immediately. I don’t want to make him wait.” She added, addressing her friend.

“Of course, Kagome-chan, I understand.” The taijiya nodded. “Dang, if only Kirara hadn’t gone with them I would have asked you to bring her.”

The miko gratefully smiled. “Doesn’t matter, I think Jaken-sama came with his dragon.”


	40. Forty.

**Forty.**

Sango escorted her friend outside, slightly swaying due to her again heavy belly. “It’s a pity that Rin-chan and Shippo went to gather herbs for Kaede, they would have liked to bid you goodbye.”

“I only hope I won’t miss the arrival of your little one, I already feel bad enough for not being here the last time”, Kagome giggled, gently brushing her friend’s stomach.

A crease appeared between the taijiya’s eyebrows. “It will take at least another three weeks before the birth, Kagome-chan. Surely you’ll be back by then?”

The miko bit her lip worriedly. “Let us hope so.”


	41. Forty-One.

**Forty-One.**

They hugged and said their goodbyes, then Kagome walked down the street.

She briskly reached the edge of the village, mentally calculating how much was left of daylight and wondering if Sesshoumaru-sama planned to walk through the night or not.

Walking along the rice fields and inhaling the fresh air of late afternoon, the miko realized that she had quite missed the life on the road that she had led since she was fifteen.

Since coming back to the Feudal Era permanently, a year before, she had lived as an apprentice miko without travelling much further than the nearby village.


	42. Forty-Two.

**Forty-Two.**

She could not say she liked that sedentary life.

Perhaps she would have, if things had gone differently – if Inuyasha had finally proposed as she had often dreamt he would – but after a couple of weeks from her return, Kagome had astonishingly realized that nothing was going to change between them.

Inuyasha loved her, sure, but in the same way Miroku and Sango did; and that day her heart broke a little.

Surprisingly, her pain hadn’t last long, perhaps because during the three years spent in her time she had grown out of her crush for him without even realizing.


	43. Forty-Three.

**Forty-Three.**

Anyway, since the Bone-Eater’s well had closed for good and she had been unable to came back to her family, Kagome had bravely put herself together and had started to build a life in the past.

Of course, there were sorrowful days when she would have liked to just lay on her futon and let the life pass by. She would revisit memories of her family and she would silently cry for she would die without been able to see them again.

The saddest part was, her sacrifice had been pointless since she had abandon her family to gain – _nothing_.


	44. Forty-Four.

**Forty-Four.**

Not that she wasn’t grateful for her friends and the little kitsune she was now openly referring to as her son. But she was young, alone, and watching Sango and Miroku’s beautiful family only added to her grief, because even if Kagome was a part of it, she didn’t have one of her own and she probably never would.

She had thought Naraku to be evil: she had never realized before that Fate was far worse.

That was the main reason she had accepted, without thinking twice, to help Sesshoumaru: she needed some time for herself, away from the village.


	45. Forty-Five.

**Forty-Five.**

For some time she had realized that life in Edo was making her restless, but she had not been able to figure out what was it that she was missing – aside from a boyfriend, that is.

She couldn’t help the feeling of excitement that was running through her veins. It had been so long since she had a mission, she was tempted to run and laugh to relieve her eagerness.

Smiling, as she was following the path that she had walked so many times in the past that she would be able to go blindfolded, Kagome felt useful once again.


	46. Forty-Six.

**Forty-Six.**

When she reached the forest and the light hill that housed the well, Kagome paced faster.

The weight of her arrows and quiver over her shoulder was oddly comforting – not that she was afraid of Sesshoumaru, but because it was a reminder of how her life was about to change, again, and she honestly couldn’t have been more eager.

The possibility of adventure, the new challenge – all of this was making her beam like a child. If only she could have Shippo with her – perhaps she would ask Sesshoumaru if the young kitsune could rejoin them at his shiro, later.


	47. Forty-Seven.

**Forty-Seven.**

Sesshoumaru had always considered himself a patient creature.

He could sit and meditate for hours without feeling restless, he could hunt a prey for weeks, plan a revenge for decades, and hold a grudge for centuries. He was _patient_.

Since the blasted curse, however, he found himself pathetically fidgety. He knew the reason: in this weaker body, his senses were duller and useless, not as keen and accurate as before. A kappa could not even hope to be as powerful as an inu, much less a daiyoukai, and Sesshoumaru was realizing it quickly.

He closed his eyes, feeling painfully defeated.


	48. Forty-Eight.

**Forty-Eight.**

He missed the smells and scents that usually permeated the air, he felt uneasy being incapable of hearing the softest noises of the animals, the delicate flatter of birds in the forest, the tree branches that rustled in the wind.

Without the senses he was born and raised with, he felt blind and deaf.

He could not even wield his swords anymore! Disgruntled, he looked down at his new hands – little three-fingered appendages with a green and wrinkled skin – and thought back at when he had tried to unsheathe Bakusaiga, ending up burned.

That had been truly an appalling moment.


	49. Forty-Nine.

**Forty-Nine.**

Sesshoumaru’s mind was clouded with dreadful thoughts.

He was the most powerful lord in the whole land, from North to South – rumors of his strength and influence had already reached the continent, turning his person into a legend. Yet his enemies crawled in the dark like worms, waiting only for the right moment to overthrow him, searching for any weakness –

– and there he went, letting himself turn by a human into _this_!

He shivered, thinking of what that inconvenience would cause inside his court.

Chaos would erupt – his rightful title questioned.

Perhaps…

Perhaps he should not have involved the miko.


	50. Fifty.

**Fifty.**

The former daiyoukai frowned, perplexed – was that a sense of… guilt?

Anyway, that wasn’t a matter of _should_ or _should not._ The miko was honor bound to help him.

Hadn’t he kept her village safe? Hadn’t he sided with her during the battle against Naraku – saved her very life in more than one occasion?

Slowly nodding to himself, Sesshoumaru found his request more than rightful: he would simply have to protect her one more time, if the situation at his shiro were to worsen.

Of course, in his current appearance… his pledge might not hold the same weight as before.


	51. Fifty-One.

**Fifty-One.**

As soon as he felt the first prickle of her aura caress his skin, Sesshoumaru stood up.

_Better not indulge in unfavorable thoughts, for now._

After a few more minutes, the miko appeared from behind the trees – steps determined, back upright, a beaming smile upon her face. She was armed, he noted, and well-equipped for the journey.

When she saw him, she hastened the pace.

“Sorry for making you wait, Sesshoumaru-sama,” she began breathless, bowing slightly. “I’m ready when you are.”

He watched her for a moment, then he brusquely turned around. “Come.”

They had a long way to go.


	52. Fifty-Two.

**Fifty-Two.**

It was so weird, following Jaken-sama’s tiny form.

The only thing that set him apart from the real Jaken was the absence of the Staff of Two Heads and the way in which he carried himself – as if he owned the very road. Not to mention, well, Jaken’s inability to be quiet.

Lost briefly in her own thoughts, Kagome wondered if there was another reason for all this secrecy, besides the obvious discomfort of the daiyoukai and his comprehensible humiliation.

Had their roles been reversed, she would have told everything to her friends; but she wasn’t a haughty lord after all.


	53. Fifty-Three.

**Fifty-Three.**

If Kagome had naively thought that Sesshoumaru would have explained himself as soon as they were on the road, clarifying the whole situation, she would have been sorely mistaken.

Except for that first command, he hadn’t muttered another word.

The silence was highly annoying.

They had barely been travelling for an hour, and she already missed her friends. Shippo’s tricks, Miroku’s unwanted advances, Sango’s indignant shouts – even Inuyasha’s constant whining!

That was no way to travel, she inwardly bemoaned.

Where were the tales, the laughter, the companionship?

She would have to change that.

She started with loudly clearing her throat.


	54. Fifty-Four.

**Fifty-Four.**

Sesshoumaru completely ignored her.

(Inuyasha would have glared at her, while asking if she was getting sick.)

Frowning, Kagome tried again – “ _Ehm-ehm_!” – nothing.

The demon lord was in his own world, unaware of his surroundings.

Well, that simply would not do.

She tried talking about Rin, but than only earned her some sort of assenting nod; she talked about Shippo, Sango’s recent pregnancy, Miroku’s cherished hard work, even Inuyasha’s unexpected friendship with Kouga – nothing seemed to capture the daiyoukai’s interest.

Short of starting to sing and dance, Kagome didn’t know what else to do.

 _Oh!_ Time to ask some questions.


	55. Fifty-Five.

**Fifty-five.**

“So”, Kagome began conversationally. “What is the plan?”

The current beaky face of Sesshoumaru turned slightly towards her. “The plan?”

“ _Yep_. What are we going to do? I mean, besides trying to make you rule the West in that appearance. Do you have any ideas on how to return inside your body?”

He frowned. “I have not been able to consider it yet. This one had more urgent matters to handle.”

She managed not to smile. “Like getting used to your new look?”

“Like preventing Jaken from destroying everything with my poison, including my clothes and hair.” Sesshoumaru answered dryly.


	56. Fifty-Six.

**Fifty-six.**

Kagome realized that in all that excitement she had completely forgotten about the other side of the coin – namely, Jaken-sama in Sesshoumaru’s bigger and stronger body.

“Oh, you’re right!” She tapped her finger against her lips. “Poor Jaken-sama, he must be so scared. By the way, where did you leave him?”

“There is a hidden cave up that hill”, Sesshoumaru replied softly, pointing his chin somewhere in the distance. “If Jaken has managed to control this one’s body, that is where we will find him.”

Kagome shivered: she didn’t want a daiyoukai on a rampage that close to her village.


	57. Fifty-Seven.

**Fifty-seven.**

“What is it like”, the uneasy miko suddenly wondered aloud, “to be inside a body that isn’t _yours_?”

Sesshoumaru did not have to think twice about his answer. “Extremely uncomfortable.”

“Yes, but do you still feel like yourself? Do you still have your old instincts?” It was clear that she wanted to go somewhere with her questions, and the Western Lord allowed her. “I know that demons of your rank coexist with their beast, but how can an inuyoukai beast reside inside a kappa body?”

Immediately, he went rigid. That was not a topic he wished to debate anytime soon.


	58. Fifty-Eight.

**Fifty-eight.**

The miko couldn’t understand the deep turmoil he was facing.

He hadn’t felt this way even when his half-brother cut off his arm – the relatively temporary pain of losing one’s limb couldn’t be compared to the constant torment of feeling his own soul broken, incomplete.

Trying to reach for his youki led to nothing; seeking for the innermost feeling of his beast was useless. For where a rumbling, comforting presence was supposed to be, there was now only a terrifying silence.

Emptiness.

His own scent was foreign, his sight faint, his perspective amiss.

Helplessness wasn’t something Sesshoumaru was used to.


	59. Fifty-Nine.

**Fifty-nine.**

As if sensing the deep anguish of the demon beside her, Kagome wisely decided to drop the matter.

“You know, Sesshoumaru-sama, I think I need to thank you for this opportunity.”

The daiyoukai raised an eyebrow without turning in her direction. “I did not realize you would be that eager to rule a kingdom, miko.”

“What?” She blinked, perplexed, then she shook her head. “No, nothing like that. I meant the opportunity to leave the village. I missed being on the road.”

“Are you not content with the peaceful life your village can offer?” He almost sounded curious.

Kagome shrugged.


	60. Sixty.

**Sixty.**

“Well, I suppose it could be worse.”

“Rin never complained.”

“I’m not complaining either!” The miko sounded affronted. “It _is_ good to be busy, to be able to assist the sick and teach the children, but after the whole business with Naraku I got used to travelling, seeing new places, meeting new people. Helping villagers in distress! Perhaps I should become a travelling miko”, she added as a half thought, sotto voce.

“I doubt you could survive on your own.” Sesshoumaru coolly stated. Kagome gaped, but he continued before she could retort: “You need company to prosper.”

She frowned, thoughtfully.


	61. Sixty-One.

**Sixty-One.**

The following silence stretched uncomfortably between them.

It was not the first time that Kagome had a talk with the daiyoukai, since being Rin main mentor made her the first person Sesshoumaru went to when he visited, but it was definitely a first realizing how much he seemed to have understood her.

Obviously, he was right: she had never thought in detail what such a life would entail. In the past, she had loved travelling because she was with her friends – but now… were she to follow that path… wouldn’t she end up even more lonely than she already was?


	62. Sixty-Two.

**Sixty-Two.**

“I was wondering.” She started, leaving purposefully her sentence unfinished.

Sesshoumaru, understanding that she did not intend to continue without his acknowledgement, hummed his exhortation.

Kagome hid her smile. “Why do you need my help in ruling your lands? Surely, Jaken-sama would be as capable as he was before to assist you in political matters. I mean, since you didn’t lose your personality and sense of reason, he should have maintained his as well. Am I wrong?”

The daiyoukai shook his head. “You are not wrong, miko, but that is not the only reason for why I need your assistance.”


	63. Sixty-Three.

**Sixty-Three.**

There was more?

“Care to enlighten me, then?”

The demon lord tried to repay her inquisitiveness with tolerance. “There is no hurry. You will see for yourself as soon as we reach my retainer; then you will know why it is impossible for him to take this Sesshoumaru’s place.”

Kagome rolled her eyes, careful so that he wouldn’t notice. _He sure loves his secrets_ , she thought.

 _But_ , she added in an afterthought, _if I had just lost all my power and my certainties, then I too would hold onto any little thing that maintained even a scrap of my superiority._


	64. Sixty-Four.

**Sixty-Four.**

They had deviated from the forest a while ago, and were now coasting the base of a hill. Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice the shift in her companion’s aura.

“Stay close”, he warned. “We are almost at the cave, and we do not know what we are going to find.”

 _Not at all alarming_ , Kagome thought sarcastically. Yet she nodded, her fingers following instinct and grabbing an arrow from her quiver.

It didn’t take them long to notice that Ah-Uh was nowhere to be seen.

“Sesshoumaru-sama”, she started, a bad feeling mounting in her. “Where is your dragon?”


	65. Sixty-Five.

**Sixty-Five.**

Sesshoumaru stopped in the middle of the pathway towards the cave, trying to attune his new senses to their surroundings. He clenched his fists, annoyed, when that proved to be useless.

He couldn’t feel _anything_. Not an aura, not a noise, not even the brimming amount of his own youki – which ought to be cloaking the whole forest, scaring away lesser predators; the unnerved miko seemed to be feeling something, but that did not help him weigh the situation.

“Ah-Uh are probably waiting my return, hidden somewhere safe”, he eventually decided to answer. “Follow me.”

They resumed walking, fully alert.


	66. Sixty-Six.

**Sixty-Six.**

The cavern looked completely thrashed. The walls were covered in scratches, dark drops of blood splattered everywhere on the ground, and the acrid smell of burning acid lingered in the air like humidity after a storm.

Deeply worried, Kagome went to take a step inside, but just then a low threatening growl coming from the depths of the cave shook the stone. Sesshoumaru’s tiny hand instantly grabbed the hem of her sleeve, keeping her from moving further.

“Do not be foolish, miko”, the former inuyoukai murmured without malice. “Wait.”

“Wait for _what_?” She hissed, uneasy.

It came from the shadows.


	67. Sixty-Seven.

**Sixty-Seven.**

Kagome could count on the fingers of one hand the times she had seen Sesshoumaru’s more beastly form, and yet even then there was the reassurance that he was still inside, somewhere, holding the reins.

There was no control left behind those maddening eyes.

Jagged stripes, magenta eyes, elongated fangs and acid that dropped from his claws, drizzling dangerously all over the ground, leaving the sickening sweet scent of poison heavy in the air–

Kagome bit hard on her tongue, trying not to scream.

The beast roared menacing, preparing to attack, and Sesshoumaru did something she’d never expected: he swore.


	68. Sixty-Eight.

**Sixty-Eight.**

The beast charged, his sharp fangs jutting out of his open jaws as if he wanted to devour them.

Panicked, Kagome quickly erected a solid wall of reiki in front of her and Sesshoumaru, wincing slightly when the beast collided against it and his flesh sizzled, burned.

The beast whimpered, but again hurled himself against the barrier.

Sesshoumaru snapped his beak. “You need to bind him, miko!”

Kagome gasped. “I will hurt your body!”

“It does not matter”, he hissed, impatient. “It will heal. Do it _now_ , miko! Before he loses all control completely!”

She swallowed nervously. _Hasn’t he already?_


	69. Sixty-Nine.

**Sixty-Nine.**

Despite Sesshoumaru’s insistence, she didn’t want to bind him with an arrow – who knew what the outcome would be, considering what happened to Inuyasha.

So she discharged her bow and, as the beast kept throwing himself against her barrier, becoming angrier by the second, she joined her palms together as Miroku had taught her.

With her eyes closed, Kagome focused on the reiki rippling restlessly deep within her core. She managed to calm herself enough that the stormy sea of her power turned to a placid lake barely disturbed by the breeze, and then she began to tap into it.


	70. Seventy.

**Seventy.**

Kagome felt Sesshoumaru starting to fidget beside her, but she didn’t let it distract her.

Little by little, what of her power that wasn’t invested into the barrier started to pool towards her palms; she let an ofuda slip from her sleeve, then pressed it between her now glowing hands. _Nothing lethal_ , she prayed fervently; _please, I just want him unconscious, not dead_.

The blessed paper absorbed the gathered reiki like a sponge; then, Kagome cut sharply the link between her reiki and the vessel.

She took a shivering breath, then opened her eyes and gazed into red, angry ones.


	71. Seventy-One.

**Seventy-One.**

_Forgive me, Jaken-sama_.

Without thinking twice, Kagome raised her hand and slapped forcefully the reiki imbued ofuda against the inuyoukai’s forehead, using another tendril of power to make her aim true.

And hit the target it did: the beast screeched painfully as if he were pierced from side to side by a flaming sword, forcing both miko and kappa to step back and cover their ears in pain.

Then his eyes rolled back inside his skull and he crumbled with a dull thud at their feet, fast asleep.

“Well”, Kagome trembled, dissolving the barrier. “I suppose it could’ve been worse.”


	72. Seventy-Two.

**Seventy-Two.**

The darkness was slowly tinging the sky. Farmers were leaving the fields, mothers started gathering their children from the streets, the cattle were being steered to the stables; a few lanterns began to appear at the crossroads, chasing away the shadows.

The lonely barking of a stray dog, the low bellowing of cows – all indicated that another day had come to its end.

Then, in the quiet stillness of the evening, a screech echoed from somewhere in the village, forcing terrified birds to flee from their nests, chirping indignantly.

“What d’ya mean, _Kagome left to stay with the bastard_?!”


	73. Seventy-Three.

**Seventy-Three.**

As always, Miroku tried to bring peace.

“Now, Inuyasha, you don’t need to be angry. If Kagome-sama deemed it safe, then surely…”

“And Kagome never got in trouble before for that, right?!”

“Inuyasha!” Sango hissed. “You’ll wake the children!”

Mildly chastised, the hanyou lowered his voice – but kept his anger. “I’m gonna go to the bastard’s lands and drag her back by the hair if I have to – we don’t trust Sesshoumaru!”

“Sesshoumaru will be the last of his problems if he does that”, chuckled Shippo.

“My friend”, sighed the monk. “You can’t do anything tonight anyway – you are _human_.”


	74. Seventy-Four.

**Seventy-Four.**

“You may not trust your brother, but you can trust Kagome-sama”, Miroku added, a subtle reprimand in his voice. “We are not at war anymore, and Sesshoumaru-sama is an ally.”

“That doesn’t mean I have to like it”, he muttered.

“Listen”, the monk tried again. “You and I have our duties here at the village – we cannot simply drop everything and leave without cause. If she has not yet returned by the end of next week, we will get going. How is that?”

Inuyasha growled. “Don’t have much choice, do I?”

Miroku leaned back against the wall, looking satisfied. “Indeed.”


	75. Seventy-Five.

**Seventy-Five.**

They had dragged the inuyoukai deeper inside the cave, pushed him against a wall and considered the eventuality of having to spend the night, since Ah-Uh were still hidden and they couldn’t travel in those conditions.

“I told you to bind him, miko, not make him sleep for who knows how long”, Sesshoumaru-sama reproached her for the umpteenth time, keeping watch next to his body.

Kagome exhaled brusquely from her nostrils. “Asleep is better than dead, or fatally injured”, she snapped.

“We will waste precious time that we could have used to cover more road”, he added, blatantly ignoring her.


	76. Seventy-Six.

**Seventy-Six.**

Kagome threw her hands up.

“And how were we supposed to travel in the dark – a miko, a dragon and two body-swapped demons who are barely holding themselves together?” She blurted out, stress and fright making her careless with words. “If Jaken-sama isn’t awake by sunrise tomorrow, I will zap some reiki into him and make him. Happy?”

Considering Sesshoumaru-sama’s icy glare, he was far from happy; however, beggars can’t be choosers, so he nodded.

She took a deep breath, praying for calmness.

“Now, if it’s not too much trouble, would you mind telling me _what the hell was that?_ ”


	77. Seventy-Seven.

**Seventy-Seven.**

Sesshoumaru-sama tried pinching the bridge of his nose, but found himself rubbing only an unfamiliar beak instead. With a discomfited grunt, he opened his eyes and frowned at the priestess.

“That, miko, is what happens when a inuyoukai has no control over his beast, and let it rule their body and their mind”, he explained grudgingly. “Are you familiar with my half-brother’s condition, and what used to happen to him when his youkai blood took charge?”

Mouth suddenly dry, Kagome nodded her comprehension.

“A strong emotion usually instigates it, so the beast lacks the clarity to undergo a full shift.”


	78. Seventy-Eight.

**Seventy-Eight.**

Sesshoumaru’s voice suddenly softened, his eyes moving to rest over his former body with sorrow.

“The beast must have realized that his body has been compromised”, he murmured, so quietly that Kagome had to hold her breath to hear him. “He wishes to come out and see for himself, but he cannot, because Jaken does not know how to guide the transformation. Trapped inside his humanoid form, blind and afraid, he lashes out, his anger unable to find an outlet: the youki pours out of him but the beast cannot direct it towards anything, because that is – _was_ – my duty.”


	79. Seventy-Nine.

**Seventy-Nine.**

Kagome found herself coughing to mask a sniff.

 _Well_ , she thought: _that answered the question whether his beast could survive in Jaken’s body or not._ Clearly, the curse couldn’t afflict something that was so deeply merged with its own form – thus separating Sesshoumaru-sama not only from his body, but also his other half.

Brusquely clearing his voice to dispel the somber mood, Sesshoumaru turned towards her.

“That is what happened earlier, miko”, he said coolly. “Jaken could not control my beast and in his confusion, he attacked us. It was not a malicious assault, he simply does not know better.”


	80. Eighty.

**Eighty.**

Guilt and sadness made her avert her eyes, and Kagome inwardly berated herself for her initial reaction of callous laughter. This was truly no mocking matter, she restlessly realized. How was she supposed to help them?

If only they hadn’t killed the dark miko responsible for their current circumstances; at least then there would still be the option of begging her to lift the curse.

“Couldn’t we try to communicate with the beast?” She inquired cautiously, testing the waters. “I mean, he clearly can come out, considering what happened earlier. Maybe we could explain the situation, soothe him a bit?”


	81. Eighty-One.

**Eighty-One.**

“You wish to communicate with my beast”, Sesshoumaru deadpanned.

 _Really, the miko’s foolishness knew no bounds_.

He watched her as she approached the dormant figure of his former body, rummaging in her bag and taking out ointments, a canteen and bandages. She proceeded to take care of Jaken’s burn wounds, gently cleaning them from any blood and reiki’s residue.

He did not know what to make of it.

“Well, do you have a better solution?” She retorted. “We must be certain there won’t be any other outburst before we continue with our trip. I trust you, but _he_ is dangerous.”


	82. Eighty-Two.

**Eighty-Two.**

As much as he concurred with her reasoning, her idea was impractical for a very simple reason.

“The beast does not comprehend human words, miko.”

She blinked, caught off guard. “But… You understood us perfectly when you used to shift.”

Sesshoumaru nodded. “Again, that was because this one knew human language, not the beast. Without me, he is no more than a simple, lesser youkai, so to speak. A more intelligent animal, surely, but an animal nonetheless. Jaken didn’t understand him, either.”

“But another inuyoukai could, right?”

His golden eyes grew impossibly cold, and Kagome hurried to clarify: “Not Inuyasha!”


	83. Eighty-Three.

**Eighty-Three.**

“Even were I amenable to let another inuyoukai in on this situation, _which I am not_ ”, he stressed, shifting to hide his hands inside the sleeves of his suikan, “the beast would be unable to see reason. You have just witnessed how unstable he is without me, no need to worsen the circumstances.”

“Well then”, she huffed. “What do you plan on doing?”

“There is a comprehensive library at the shiro; we will find something useful there.”

“But _how_ are we going to get there with him like _this_?”

Sesshoumaru blinked placidly.

She knew a shrug when she saw one.


	84. Eighty-Four.

**Eighty-Four.**

Kagome slept little and she slept badly, her mind still working incessantly and filling her dreams with disturbing nonsense and painful memories – not something that uncommon since the well had closed and she had started to make her new life work five centuries in the past.

But when she awoke, an insistent seed of an idea had already started to bloom in the recess of her ingenious mind.

“Of course!” She exclaimed, jumping to sit on her bedroll.

On the other side of the cavern, an imp turned his head towards her and an inuyoukai grunted softly in his unconsciousness.


	85. Eighty-Five.

**Eighty-Five.**

“I shall make you a subjugation bracelet”, Kagome proudly declared, eyes glinting and hands gesticulating wildly. “Kaede-sama taught me how to do it, and I always carry some beads with me – just in case.”

Sesshoumaru-sama frowned – twisting the imp face in an impressively threatening expression. “If you think I will submit myself to such indignity…”

“Obviously, it would be different than Inuyasha’s rosary”, she interrupted quickly. “There won’t be any demand given to subdue – it will simply act to contain the aura of your beast, allowing Jaken-sama to take a step forward and be in control of his temporary body.”


	86. Eighty-Six.

**Eighty-Six.**

Sesshoumaru mulled over her explanation thoroughly, valuating weaknesses and advantages, debating whether to trust the miko’s judgement or dismiss it as he would have done years ago.

But logic made him pause, and honor forced him to reconsider: _he_ went to her, after all. If he could accept to disclose his unfortunate circumstances, then surely, he could also heed her advice.

Thinking flared up his curiosity. “Why a bracelet?”

Kagome shrugged. “It’s easier; it takes a lot more power and control than what I currently have to make a full necklace”, she freely admitted.

Her unapologetic honesty reminded him of Rin.


	87. Eighty-Seven.

**Eighty-Seven.**

With his permission, Kagome took a silver hair from his sleeping form: it was so long that she had to weave it into a tiny braid, thus making it even sturdier.

Then, she proceeded with the difficult part, which asked for patience and concentration – weaving the beads into Sesshoumaru’s hair, merging sacred and demonic power together in a solid talisman.

The Lord watched raptly. The miko whispered prayers for each bead, infusing it with her power: the beads shone brightly for a few moments, then the light was absorbed within and the orbs turned black once more.

Inside, reiki pulsed.


	88. Eighty-Eight.

**Eighty-Eight.**

The process was longer than Sesshoumaru expected – however he lacked experience in such matters, as controlling youki required more instinct than mind.

As she finished tying the knot to keep the beads from falling, Kagome released a trembling sigh. She had done everything exactly as Kaede had taught her, even adding some of Miroku’s more powerful chants just to stay on the safer side.

Nervous, but somewhat satisfied with her work, Kagome raised her head to look at Sesshoumaru.

“It’s done.”

The Lord in the imp’s body nodded tersely. “Proceed then, miko.”

 _Yeah_ , she thought, _better get this over with_.


	89. Eighty-Nine.

**Eighty-Nine.**

Kagome remembered perfectly well what had happened to Inuyasha when Kaede-sama had first put the rosary on him – years later and her friend still hadn’t forgotten.

 _Like being strangled_ , he had muttered during one of his rare sharing moods. _First your air is cut off, then your power – and your body doesn’t belong to you anymore. Tied down by another’s will._

An agonizing experience.

At that time, wounds were still raw, and his words had hurt in more ways then one.

They had cried and apologized, finally finding forgiveness in each other arms – giving comfort seemed to be easier now.


	90. Ninety.

**Ninety.**

Now, Kagome didn’t want to risk inflicting that kind of experience on Sesshoumaru-sama.

Despite her training and studying, she wasn’t completely sure that she could use a sacred rosary to help a youkai, instead of subduing him. It was a subject that neither Kaede-sama nor Miroku had ever thought to address – a terrible oversight on their part, considering that half of their loved ones had a demonic nature.

Anyway, she had made a promise.

And hopefully reiki reacted more to the owner’s intent rather than the recipient’s nature – and if her purpose was benign, surely the bracelet wouldn’t hurt him.


	91. Ninety-One.

**Ninety-One.**

She wasn't wrong – but she wasn't entirely right either.

The moment she secured the bracelet around the striped wrist of Sesshoumaru's original body, the pearls lit up with the same bright energy of her sacred arrows –

then, to her horror, his skin started to frizzle under their scorching heat.

Only years of practice kept her from screaming, but she couldn't stop herself from cursing out loud.

“You would be kind to prevent my body from turning into ashes, miko.”

“You won't – _he won't_ – I will!” Kagome stammered, panicked.

She lunged for his wrist and grabbed his hand, ignoring the burning.


	92. Ninety-Two.

**Ninety-Two.**

It didn't burn her; on the contrary, the moment she touched his skin the light subsided, and disappeared completely back into the beads.

Kagome hadn't immediately noticed, but the sacred heat – or whatever the hell that had been – had burned away the ofuda off the inuyoukai's forehead, so when she raised her relieved eyes to his, she came face to face with Sesshoumaru's furrowed gaze.

_At least his eyes are normal-yellow, now._

Behind her, the Lord trapped in his retainer's skin still hadn't spoken.

She tried, nervous, “Jaken-sama?”

“Get your filthy hands off my lord’s body, lowly human!” He screeched.


	93. Ninety-Three.

**Ninety-Three.**

That tone jarred with Sesshoumaru's low, darker voice – something that even the poor kappa seemed to notice.

Widening his eyes in an almost comic expression, he turned to his lord and threw himself at his feet, dishevelled silver hair spilled on the ground.

 _Don't laugh, Kagome_ , she warned herself.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" He boomed, his deep voice rumbling like thunder inside the tiny cave. "My lord, forgive me! I couldn't control your noble body!"

"Jaken."

The retainer brusquely stopped whining, raising his head. Kagome gaped - there were _tears_ in his eyes.

"Never again kneel in this one's body", Sesshoumaru ordered coldly.


	94. Ninety-Four.

**Ninety-Four.**

As Jaken muttered his apologies and straightened again, Kagome stepped forward and looked him up and down.

“How do you feel, Jaken-sama?” She asked, careful not to touch him. “Are you fully in control of this body?”

He glared at her, but this time he bit his tongue and avoided hurtful comments. 

The kappa knew her, yet the only human he seemed to stand and care for was Rin - so Kagome was used to being ignored, and she never properly talked to him. 

Not that she had ever wanted to.

If anything, Jaken seemed to share her lack of enthusiasm.


	95. Ninety-Five.

**Ninety-Five.**

Sesshoumaru finally decided to speak. "You will answer to the miko, Jaken."

The retainer gulped - and what a treat to see that kind of expression on Sesshoumaru-sama's face! - and acquiesced with a tiny nod.

"I--yes. My vision seems to be clearer, now", he admitted after a quick musing.

“What about-” she hesitated, stealing a glance to Sesshoumaru, “-the beast?”

The lord stiffened, but he too seemed to want to hear the answer.

Jaken twisted his fingers, nervously. “My Lord, forgive me - I do not feel it anymore.”

“Miko,” Sesshoumaru turned to her. “Is this your doing?”

_ God, she hoped so _ .


	96. Ninety-Six.

**Ninety-Six.**

“The purpose of the bracelet was to lull the beast into a dormant state,” she explained to both demons, nodding at Jaken when he carefully touched the beads around his wrist. “If Jaken-sama doesn’t feel its presence, it means the reiki is keeping the two minds separate from each other.”

The Lord nodded, yet Jaken looked affronted.

“You dared put a  _ subjugation rosary _ on the noble Sesshoumaru-sama’s body?” He hissed, baring his fangs. 

Sesshoumaru had had enough.

“You would do better to learn to speak to the miko with the respect due to a female of this one’s pack, Jaken.”


	97. Ninety-Seven.

**Ninety-Seven.**

Jaken bowed, speechless; even as an imp, the lord was not to be trifled with.

He threw an annoyed glance at the half-breed’s miko -  _ presumptuous wench, disrespectful human _ \- and retired on his corner of the cave, wishing for his Staff of Two Heads to cling onto.

He always had and always would respect his Lord and Master, yet he couldn’t help but grimace at his doubtful choice of entourage. First Rin, and now a miko?

And he wanted him to treat her as he would have a mate, if he had one?

He inwardly whimpered -  _ Sesshoumaru-sama, what happened to you? _


	98. Ninety-Eight.

**Ninety-Eight.**

At this point in life, Kagome knew better than to intrude in a disagreement between demons - so she let it be, choosing wise silence over reckless meddling.

She didn't particularly care to be respected only because a noble daiyoukai claimed her as a member of their pack - not even if that happened to be Sesshoumaru-sama - but that was a battle for another time.

After all, she had managed to teach Inuyasha - surely a sophisticated demon like his brother would come to understand her perspective.

_ Something to look forward to! _

Thankfully, the newfound quiet drew Sesshoumaru’s dragons back to the grotto.


	99. Ninety-Nine.

**Ninety-Nine.**

Ah-Uh sniffed around the mouth of the cave and whirred inquisitively, heads gently butting together as their clever eyes looked for their master – yet they seemed to be aware of the danger, because they stood clear of the two swapped demons.

Kagome sighed, thankful for the interruption. “At least with them we can reach your castle faster.”

She cautiously reached a hand towards one of the heads, inwardly delighted when its snout pressed against her palm.

“Aw, aren’t you lovely”, she cooed.

Jaken snorted, but it was Sesshoumaru’s voice that made her wary.

“Careful, miko - their fangs are sharp.”


End file.
